"After having the world's largest dump, why should we expose ourselves and our children to that?" Ms. Giovinazzo said at her West Brighton law office.

But Matteo said that Ms. Giovinazzo is "fear-mongering."

As part of a plan to fix the borough's pothole-marred streets, Matteo said he would advocate for the city to purchase and resurrect the old Vanbro asphalt and concrete plant in Travis, rather than trucking in asphalt from New Jersey.

But citing the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Ms. Giovinazzo said such plants can release hazardous air pollutants that can cause cancer, central nervous system problems and other damage.

She said that despite environmental safeguards governing such plants, children, the elderly and those with compromised health systems could be negatively affected.

Potential damage could be made worse by the Island's prevailing wind patterns, she said, adding that cancer rates here are already too high.

"We cannot afford to add any toxic emissions," she said. "People don't want to see an asphalt plant in their backyard."

She also said that the presence of such a plant could diminish home values in Travis.

Said Ms. Giovinazzo, "We'd go from being the 'borough of parks' to the asphalt capital of New York City."

After consulting with Philadelphia-based mechanical engineer Jeff Otto, who was commercial manager of the Visy Paper plant when it was being built, Ms. Giovinazzo said she would want to see a full slate of air quality, emissions, traffic and other studies performed on the facility.

She questioned the need for an asphalt plant here when she said that four others exist in New Jersey within a 15-mile radius.

Critics have said that asphalt trucked in from New Jersey has too much time to cool, making it less durable.

When asked about the money that Island firms doing paving jobs could potentially save if they didn't have to pay bridge tolls to pick up asphalt elsewhere, Ms. Giovinazzo said that the firms "would have to take into account the toll" depending on the job.

Matteo, chief of staff to outgoing GOP Councilman James Oddo, said that Ms. Giovinazzo is "uninformed, yet again" and guilty of "shameful fear-mongering."

"Does she even know that it already is an asphalt plant?" he said.

As such, Matteo said that the site was heavily regulated by the city and state, and operated with "fuel-efficient, environmentally clean technology."